It Runs in the Family
by ExcuseMyDutch
Summary: Katherine Moran needs Sherlock's help after she falls victim to a scammer. At first he sees her as just another client, but slowly she creeps her way into his heart. She becomes his right-hand and his friend. But what happens when another Moran makes an appearance? Will it all turn to dust?
1. Coffee and a case

**Chapter 1: Coffee and a case**

It was a beautiful spring morning. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and Kat felt like murdering someone.

"What do you mean 'it's gone'?", She asked bitterly.

"I mean it isn't there anymore, I checked all the accounts. It's gone.", her boyfriend replied.

"It can't just have vanished, right? There has to be a trace of it", she tried, "Have you messaged him yet? I'm sure there's an explanation for all this."

"I've left texts, phone calls, emails, everything." ,He sighed in defeat, "I'm afraid we've been had."

Kat's world stopped for a moment. She should have known better. She shouldn't have let someone else in on her business plans. She shouldn't have been so stupid.

"You're not blaming yourself for this, right? There is no way you could have known he was going to walk away with your money. Don't beat yourself up about it." ,Ned advised,

"How much did you even put into that account?"

"Practically all of it.", Kat confessed, "I put almost all of my bloody money into that account thinking I could trust the fucker with his perfect suit and flashy smile. God I wish I could just grab a stick and shove it up hi-"

Ned stopped her, "Sweetie, I understand you're mad but wishing threats upon the jerk that did this really isn't going to change anything. Sure, we could sit idly by and hope the money returns magically, but that's not going to happen anytime soon."

"Then what do you suggest? Go to the police and be put on an endless waitlist? ", she asked with an exasperated sigh. "Things like this happen all the time and law enforcement can't do anything about it because there is no trace left of his actions, you can't catch a ghost."

"We call in a private detective", he simply replied. "That way you'll know for sure that someone is working on it, also, a detective will actually try to go the extra mile for his money."

Just that moment the waitress of the pub decided to show up. Ned flashed her a smile before ordering them both a coffee. The girl giggled and made a comment about his 'cute' American accent. Kat eyed her suspiciously before sending her a death glare telling her to back off. The waitress got the hint and scurried away. She hated it when people pried on her boyfriend. Not that she didn't understand the attention. He was tall, well built and to be honest, very cute. And with them both having brown hair and dark green eyes, they could be mistaken as siblings. Still, it angered her when a girl decided to flirt with him and tended to get very defensive. He just sent her a look saying 'You have nothing to worry about, I'm very happy to have you". God, she loved him, he would always keep her grounded. From little things such as making sure she didn't burn herself to death when cooking, to right now when she felt like smashing this pub like the incredible hulk. And he was right once again, she needed help with this. No matter how badly she wanted to do it herself. She didn't have any detective skills and Ned was never good investigating either. Maybe a detective wasn't such a bad idea.

"You're right", she finally answered, "But how will I pay him? I barely have enough money left to buy groceries." she sighed.

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it.", just as Kat tried to argue he followed with, "No discussion there, I won't let you become completely broke from trying to take back what's yours.", Kat grabbed his hand and smiled, she silently promised to pay him back once this was all over. "I heard a friend talk about a detective who lives downtown. He calls himself a 'consulting detective', whatever that is. Maybe we could hire him" He added.

She contemplated a second before answering, "Okay, we'll give him a try. In the meantime, you think I could stay with you for a while? My lease is up this week and as you might recall, my money has gone 'poof'. It won't be long, I promise.", she pleaded.

Ned started laughing, "Are you asking to move in with me? I don't know, this is all so sudden, we aren't even married yet." , he joked, which earned him a slap on his bicep. "Of course you can, stay as long as you want", he added, smiling.

Kat replied by pressing her lips against his, "Thank you" she breathed. Just as he was kissing her back, the flirty waitress returned with two coffee cups. She shifted uncomfortably when Kat intentionally moaned against her boyfriend's lips. When they parted lips to take their coffee, the girl scurried away awkwardly. "That'll show her", Kat smiled to herself.

After breakfast, when they arrived at Ned's apartment, he went straight to his laptop to contact this 'consultant' guy. This gave Kat time to admire his place. It was quite small, but cosy. The walls were decorated with white paint and framed movie posters. Across the room was a big flat-screen television with DVD's surrounding it and a big, red couch in front of it. Many nights she spent there, cuddled up against Ned, watching all kinds of movies. She smiled to herself, happy to have found such a sweet boyfriend. On the right of the TV was a door that led to his bedroom and on the left was his open kitchen. He was a sous-chef at a nearby restaurant and so the cupboards were filled with fancy cooking tools. She recalled a night in which he vowed to teach her how to cook, only to be traumatized when she succeeded in setting all the pans on fire. Ever since that 'incident' he hasn't suggested to try again. She smiled to herself, she would most likely starve if she didn't have him to cook for her. Especially since now all her money was gone. Damn it, she had almost forgotten about that.

"I've found him, his name is Sherlock Holmes. He lives at 221b Baker street which is also his office.", Ned called from his desk, "That's not too far from here, we could go visit him later if you want."

"Why not go right now?", she replied, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence, "The sooner we get help, the sooner we catch this guy."

Before Ned could reply she had already grabbed her coat. As she was making her way out the door he stopped her.

"Don't you want to get your stuff first? You said yourself you're supposed to be out your apartment in a few days so it's best to get most of your things out before you're not allowed in anymore."

"There he is again, Mister sensible", she joked, "But no, I really want this over now so we won't have to think about it for the rest of the day. You know me, if we don't put this in someone else's hands I will fret about it all the way to my apartment and back."

Ned sighed in defeat and grabbed his coat, there was no arguing with her. They walked out the door to his car. "You think he'll be old?", she suddenly asked, "Or shady? With weird secretive files everywhere? Or looking out his window everyday with his binoculars just spying on people?" Ned chuckled, she could be such a dork sometimes.

When they arrived at the address Kat was feeling a hint of anxiousness. What if this detective guy couldn't catch him either? And she would have spent her last dime on some idiot failing at his job? She mentally shook her head. She shouldn't worry so much, it was all going to be okay... she hoped.

Before Ned rang the doorbell he asked her, "You ready?", she just nodded in response. He rang the bell. After a few seconds the door was opened by a lady with an apron on.

"Hello, we're sorry to bother you, but does a 'Sherlock Holmes' live here by any chance?" Ned asked ever so politely.

"Hello, you must be clients. Come on in dears, there's no use in standing outside is there?" She motioned them inside.

"Thank you miss-?", Kat asked.

"Hudson, I'm the boys' housek-" she sighed "landlady." She corrected herself when an alarm started beeping in the back. "Oh dear, my potatoes", she exclaimed, "The boys are upstairs, I'm afraid I'm needed in the kitchen." She said before quickly returning to her cooking. Ned and Kat shot each other a look and walked upstairs.

Before they could knock on the door a man with greyish hair walked out while shouting "Mrs Hudson? I heard the bell ring are there any cli-" He got cut off by Ned bumping into him. After they had both regained their composure, the man continued, "Clients.. You're here for Sherlock i assume"

"Yes we are.", Kat answered, "And you are his-?"

"Colleague." , he answered, "Come on in, he's in his room. He will be out any second." The man introduced himself as John Watson. When they were all seated, a tall, slender man with a mop of curls on his head walked out his bedroom.

"You must be Sherlock Holmes." Kat said, "Hi I'm Katherine and this is my b-"

"Your boyfriend who you dragged here because you messed up and want me to fix it. Something to do with money" Sherlock finished for her.

Kat and Ned stared at him agape, baffled by his bluntness. Before either could reply, he spoke again.

"You are a psychology graduate who worked as a waitress for years to save up money for your own clinic. You then met a man who promised he would help you and you, very stupidly, trusted him." Kat was staring at him agape while he continued, "When you put all your money in his account for investment purposes he took it all and disappeared without leaving a trace. Scamming case, not my usual. You have two minutes, entertain me."

This was going to be interesting.

**(A/N) Thank you so much for reading. I'm sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors, English isn't my native tongue. This is my first fanfiction and first time writing in english so all reviews are welcome. I'm really trying to improve. Also next chapter will be a bit longer i promise :)**


	2. Crazy lizard lady

Kat continued staring at the man before snapping out of her trance, "H-how did you know that", she asked.

"I didn't know, I simply observe." He replied.

When Kat continued staring John piped in "So you've been scammed, tell us about it."

She snapped out of her trance and explained her situation. Sherlock had been right about everything. A few years after getting her master's degree in psychology and not knowing what career to pursue, she finally settled on the idea of having her own psychology clinic. She had cooperated in a few psychological researches and felt confident enough to make it her profession. She waited tables at a few restaurants and saved every penny to be able to afford it. The problem was that she didn't know anything about start up's. Luckily she met 'Jake Ghoully' , entrepreneur, who was more than willing to help out. The rest was history. He gained access to her savings account with the promise of getting all the things she needed. Then took it all and left her broke, her dreams and financials crushed.

While she told her story, Sherlock had been sitting still in his chair, giving out the occasional eye roll. When Kat was done talking she looked at the detective with tears in her eyes and said "If you are even half as good as investigating as you are in 'simply observing', I'm sure you can help me find him and get my money back."

Sherlock put his hands together against his chin before asking "This 'Jake' character, he was using an alias, yes?"

"I think so, when I asked for him at the firm he supposedly worked at, they said they didn't know anyone by that name." Kat sighed "He didn't leave us anything to go on."

John looked at them confused "He didn't leave a trace at all?"

"We mostly spoke through phone calls, texts and such. I could copy the emails we exchanged for you." She said hopefully.

"Don't bother." Sherlock replied coldly "I'm sure this man covered most of his tracks, there's nothing we can do for you."

"B-but you're a private detective, this is supposed to be your-... your thing!" She exclaimed.

"Consulting detective", he corrected her, "And my 'thing' is taking cases that are worth solving. A scammer requires a lot of field work and hardly ever pays off so-"

Before Sherlock could say anything hurtful, John turned to the couple and said "What I think he's trying to say is we can't help you if we've got no leads. So is there any kind of proof of his existence, anything remarkable?"

Katherine glared at the detective and was about to say they had nothing, before Ned spoke up. "There is one thing" He said. Kat looked at her boyfriend questionably motioning him to explain and he whispered to her "The letters". Kat still didn't fully understand so he turned to Sherlock and explained "The letters she got from him always had the initials C.R engraved in them. Maybe you could look for so-"

"Is that it? Nothing else? Initials in a letter? Is that all?" Sherlock asked incredulously " What do you want us to do, background check everyone whose initials are C.R? Because I'm sure that that search will be worthwhile.", he said sarcastically and clapped his hands together, "If you have nothing for us to go on you're simply wasting our time. Sorry about your money but your case is a dead end and most of al. Boring."

Katherine stared at him in shock and anger, Ned placed his hand on hers before repeating to the detective "B-but the initials, they were custom made, I'm sure that some-"  
"They were probably someone else's. Could be anyone's, therefore no ones." He said before standing up. "Thank you for your time, you better be off now."  
Katherine looked at the man who had shattered all her hopes, and bit at him "Is that it? You will refuse a case because it requires a bit of leg work? What am I supposed to do now?"

Sherlock rolled his eyes and replied "I'm refusing your case because it's boring and won't pay off. As for what you're supposed to do, I'm sure your sweet boyfriend will gladly take you into his home. After all, the ones looking to get laid usually go the extra mile. You can build up from there. You're welcome." He smiled at her.

If looks could kill Sherlock would be dead by now. Katherine was fuming because of what the detective had said "Ned would never take me in under false pretences. And you have no right to-"

Ned cut her off "Relax sweetie. Let me handle this." He turned to John and said "Could we leave our contact information here in case you change your mind?" John nodded while  
Kat was looking at her boyfriend flabbergasted . How could he not stand up for her, or himself here? She wanted to continue her argument with the detective but he had already disappeared into his room. Great.

After leaving their phone numbers with John, they walked to Ned's car in silence. On the way to his apartment, Kat continuously glared at her boyfriend while muttering curse words under her breath. Why didn't he back her up? She knew he was a bit insecure and hated conflict, but she was his girlfriend. He was supposed to have her back. And was what Sherlock had said true? Did he only take her in so he could sleep with her? They had only been going out for a few months and in that time they had been intimate but not in that way. Not that she was a virgin, she had a few boyfriends before him, but the time just wasn't right for them. And it was impossible that Ned would only take her in for that reason. It just couldn't be. But then why didn't he protest when Sherlock had said that? All these thoughts were eating at her on the drive back to Ned's, or soon, their apartment.

As soon as Ned opened the door to let them both in, Katherine unleashed the beast. "Why didn't you defend me in there? Why did you just stand idly by as he threw my hopes out the freaking window? Is it true you only took me in so you could have sex with me?" she questioned angrily in a single breath.

Ned looked at her in slight shock before collecting himself. "Sweetie-"

"Don't sweetie me" she spat, "You're my boyfriend, but in there you acted as my anger therapist while that arse of a detective was insulting me."

"You're seeing things out of perspective", before she could retort, he added, "A shouting match was only going to make things worse. I was only trying to help out.", he looked at the floor in defeat, "I'm sorry if it came of the wrong way, will you forgive me?" he said looking up at her hopefully.

Kat felt a pang of regret for shouting at him and said "No, I'm sorry. I'm just angry at that detective and I took it out on you. Of course I forgive you. Just, try to stand up for me next time okay?"

He pulled her in for a hug and said "It's okay, and I thought he was a jerk as well. It's going to be okay, I promise.

She buried her head into his chest and asked "You promise?"

"I promise."

After a while of just standing there Kat remover herself from Ned and said "You still haven't answered my last question.", Ned looked at her in confusion as she continued, "When he said you let me move in so you could 'do the do' with me."

Ned sighed "Well, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it, but I let you move in here because I like it when you're around and you're in need of help." He smirked and added, "If this situation leads to 'doing the do', as you called it, I wouldn't object, but if it doesn't that's okay as well. I really like you and I want to do thing on your terms."

Kat smiled as she pulled him in for a kiss. She really did have the sweetest boyfriend. It sometimes made her wonder how she got him. He was shy, sensible and calm and she was a hurricane wrapped in fury. How she got her master's degree in psychology while being a nut-case was a mystery as well. She sighed as their lips parted. It was going to be okay... she hoped.

Three days later and Katherine was well on her way to start living again. She had moved in with Ned completely and put the whole ordeal with the consulting detective behind her. Well, most of it anyway. She still couldn't believe what a rude dickhead he was. She called her best friend Leah, who was the daughter of her previous boss to pull some strings for her to get her old job back. It was a waitress job at a cafe nearby. It didn't pay a lot, but she didn't need much now she had moved in with her boyfriend and they were sharing expenses. Kat was just at the end of her afternoon shift when Leah called her to the office upstairs. She walked up the stairs wondering what she would have in store for her. Leah had a very vibrant personality once you got to know her. Otherwise she was even more socially awkward than Ned, which was one of the things Kat loved about her. When she walked into the office her best friend walked up to her holding two giant lizards. Kat almost fell down in shock. Lizards? Really? Leah laughed at her friends' shocked expression "Look at them, I just got them today. Aren't they beautiful?" she beamed "They're called Larry and Brad"

Kat looked down at the reptiles in her hands and watched in terror as one tried to climb up her sleeves. "You called me up here to show me your new lizards?" she asked, "This was  
fun the first time, but these are your 12th? 13th lizards? I think you need an intervention." She laughed.

"I had to show them to you. My dad won't allow me to have any more so this will have to be our little secret." She winked.

"So you're making me your accomplice?" Kat joked.

"Yes" she replied matter-of-factly. "Now get back to work."

"I can't my shift is over." Katherine teased.

"Then what are you doing here? Get out of here." Leah joked and removed her lizards from her best friend's hands. Kat looked at her gratefully. Happy that she didn't have to hold 'Larry' and 'Brad' anymore. She hugged her friend goodbye and walked downstairs while throwing of her apron. She grabbed her black coat and made her way out. As she walked to the London underground her phone started vibrating. The caller ID wasn't visible so she answered carefully. "Hello?"

"Yes, hello" the voice on the other end replied. "This is John, John Watson from-"

"You're the colleague of that rude consulting guy" she finished for him.

"Erm, yes, about that. I think we have found a lead on your case."

"What?" she asked, not believing what she heard. "I thought your friend made it pretty clear it was a dead end.

"Yes, we thought so but then I saw on the telly that, you know, if you could just come over. I'll explain everything."

"Okay, I'll be there in a few hours." Kat promised, not knowing what to feel.

"Bye, see you then." John replied.

After he had hung up Kat felt conflicted. She was happy that they would help, but was reserved about getting her hopes up again. Also the thought of meeting mister consulting detective wasn't something she was looking forward to. Well, at least John would be there too, she thought.

After taking the longest shower in the history of bathing time she felt ready to face the day. She put on blue jeans, a white v-neck shirt and a grey scarf and made her way out the door. A perk of working at a café was that you could just snack there so she didn't feel hungry yet. Ned had taken the car to work so Kat was forced to take the underground to 221b. She didn't really like public transport. She couldn't get used to the small crowded vehicles no matter how hard she tried. Plus, for some reason the worst smelling people always stood right beside her. She praised the lord when she finally got to her destination. Walking to 221b she couldn't help but wonder what this new lead was. She hoped it was a big one. Well, she would find out soon. John promised he would explain everything so now all she could do was hope they would be able to figure it out. When she arrived at 221b she rang the doorbell. The same lady as a few days ago opened the door. When Kat wanted to greet her she was cut off by a loud bang.

Both Kat and Mrs. Hudson yelped in shock. "Erm, what was that?" Katherine asked carefully.

"Oh he's always going on about when he's bored. I've stopped trying dear. Don't worry it's nothing dangerous." And with that said, she left.

"It sounded like a gunshot." Kat called after her with a hint of stress in her voice.

She looked up the stairs with a slightly scared expression. What happened up there? She carefully walked up to 221b, not trying to make too much sound. Another bang.

Opening the door, she saw Sherlock splayed out on the couch, gun in his hand, aiming at the wall beside him. He didn't seem to notice the woman entering and fired another shot. Katherine squealed which caught the detective's attention. He put the gun down and sat up.

"Erm, Mr Holmes, what was that all about?" Kat asked cautiously.

"Bored!" The brilliant detective exclaimed. Before standing up.

"Right", Kat responded, "Where is John, he promised he wou-"

"He's out." Sherlock answered before she could finish her sentence. "He'll be back in a few but there's no need to wait around. Great. You're already wearing your coat, let's go."

"W-wait, John's not here? And where are we going? I really don't want to-"

Sherlock stopped in his tracks and sniffed her. "You own reptiles? How did I miss that?"

"How did you- and no I don't own reptiles. My friend is a crazy lizard lady. And you still haven't answered my question."

"Crazy lizard lady... right, of course" he pondered while putting on his coat.

Kat wanted to punch him. She didn't like him in the first place and now he wanted to go somewhere with her? They'd better be following the biggest lead of the century or she would blow. For a final time she asked the detective "For the last time, where are we going?"

He opened the door but before exiting the apartment, he turned to her and said with a smirk "To a crime scene"

**(A/N) Hi there :) Sorry for the delay, I had exams last week. Anyway I hoped you liked this chapter. If you did, please leave a comment, if you didn't, please leave a review. Again, sorry for any errors, I'm Dutch so my English can be bad at times. I will try to update as soon as possible. You can also tell me in the comments what you'd like to see in next chapters and I'll see what I can do :**


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